BATTERY LIFE SAVER
How to prolong the lifespan of your e-bike battery
PEDALRIGHT
The less you charge and discharge your battery, the longer it’ll last you. It makes sense to try and eke out the power every time you ride then, and that means riding smart. E-bike motors are designed to work at a normal to high pedalling cadence, they’re most efficient like this and use the least amount of energy. Bosch recommends you keep your revs above 50rpm, so avoid the slow grinds and make the most of that lovely spread of gears your bike comes with. Toggle the display so you know how 50rpm feels. Likewise, make the most of the modes your e-bike comes with – ideally you want to use the lowest power setting you can handle to eke out more range, but not if it reduces your revs to a slow crawl.
GAS TOO FLAT
The batteries themselves come with computer chips to regulate their output and charging. This means they’ll never completely drain and ruin themselves in the process. However, fully charging as much as you can and discharging to the max you’re allowed does put a higher load on a battery, so if you’re going out with a full charge every ride and then walking it back to your car empty, you’ll be rinsing that battery. Instead, try to stop before the battery is completely caput each ride… easier said than done.
CHARGING
Now this is a big one, it’s really important to charge your battery at room temperature, ideally somewhere between 10-20C° is optimal, and certainly not below freezing. Bosch says to do it indoors, somewhere dry and with a smoke detector present (lithium-ion batteries are proven to be very safe, but they can catch fire in very rare instances if they short circuit). Outside that temperature window you’ll have less power when you go out riding, and less life in your battery, because electrical resistance increases, the colder things get. How much less? If you charge the battery at 0°C, you could lose around 20 per cent.
Riding for a few hours in cold weather isn’t really bad for your battery as it comes up to temperature whatever the ambient weather, but starting off with it warm is important. This means put it in the front with you and the heater on if you drive a van, and pop it in the bike immediately before riding. Don’t ride it straight out of your freezing cold shed either, warm it up in the house beforehand.
Don’t leave it in direct sunlight either this summer. Just like your phone, if it gets too hot, the load on the battery increases. In theory the motor will automatically switch off if the battery overheats, just like on a laptop, but we’ve never experienced that (perhaps because we ride in drippy Britain).
STORAGE
If you’re not riding your e-bike for a few days, weeks or months then it’s important to leave it neither full nor empty. Bosch recommends leaving it at 30-60 per cent capacity, Shimano says take it to 70 per cent. Top up the charge every six months, and of course charge it more before riding again.
CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE
Bosch says you should remove the battery before cleaning your bike, while Shimano says you should leave it in place to protect the terminals. Shimano’s advice is probably better in real-world applications because without the battery in place there’s a
whole load of exposed wiring that’s going to get splashed with muddy water. Both Shimano and Bosch recommend you stay away from hoses and pressure washers, and instead sponge it all clean.
We think the best thing to do is wash it gently with a hose and sponge in an upright position, then dry it off completely before turning it on.
If there’s mud or grime on your battery mount terminals (not the battery itself) you can clean them with a soft dry brush or cotton bud, Shimano says.
Finally, book yourself into a dealer that specialises in your motor and have the status of your battery checked out. They’ll be able to tell you about your battery status and if you’re on course for a long life or if you’re wrecking the thing.